Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's feud with the royal family could "topple" the monarchy, an expert has claimed.
Author Anna Pasternak says she believes the fallout of the couple's public spat with the Firm could spark change.
And she claims that the rift could even mean Prince Charles' long-awaited ascension to the throne is delayed - or even cancelled.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex first split from the royal family in March 2020 before finalising the move a year later.
They then gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey, in which they made claims of racism from an unnamed member of the monarchy.
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Harry recently reunited with his family at Prince Philip's funeral.
Ms Pasternak, who penned 'Princess in Love', about Princess Diana, has now told Vanity Fair she is not "100 per cent sure" of Charles' future.
"It may be that there is such a groundswell of public opinion against [Charles] that it’s deemed by the Firm preferable for William to ascend then because he’s younger, more relatable," she said.
And the writer added: "The Sussexes have sparked something so fundamentally incendiary in this country that it is changing the face of Britain, and I think the monarchy as an archaic institution may well topple."
Diane Abbott - Britain's first female Black MP and a former shadow home secretary - also spoke to the publication.
She said: "I think the monarchy as we know it will last as long as the Queen is alive."
But, after the monarch dies, "I think there will be a big public debate," Ms Abbott added.
"And I think what the royal family and their advisers did with Meghan will be part of the argument for change."
The claims come as Harry heads back to the US to be with his wife, who is pregnant with their second child.
He was in Britain for the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, his grandfather.
The prince is expected to return home to California without having had a one-to-one chat with his father, an insider has claimed.
He spent two hours talking to his dad and brother, Prince William, together after the funeral, but he hasn't spoken to Charles alone.
One palace insider told The Mirror that the heir to the throne was hoping to see his son again but Harry told him he wasn’t sticking around.
After saying an emotional goodbye to Prince Philip, Charles, Harry and William reportedly went to Frogmore Cottage to "hammer things out".
It is claimed that the Queen has made it clear she is "united" with William and Charles amid the royal saga over the interview with Winfrey.
Read the full story “Continental Rift,” by Michelle Ruiz on VanityFair.com and in Vanity Fair’s May issue
